


We Open With Rin

by NSAS_Jian, Ōmukade (NSAS_Jian)



Series: Reboot [4]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crimes & Criminals, Murder Mystery, Non-Graphic Violence, Nonbinary Character, Organized Crime, POV First Person, everyone's in character tho, great big timeline fuckery, inaccurate everything probably
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:47:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26271385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NSAS_Jian/pseuds/NSAS_Jian, https://archiveofourown.org/users/NSAS_Jian/pseuds/%C5%8Cmukade
Summary: “...What do you think?” I raise an eyebrow, thinking about it for a moment.“I think they got into a fight they couldn’t handle.” I say, doing my best to keep eye contact “...And I think the murderer didn’t like them too much. Did they have any enemies?” I prompt, and Mr. Ciatri actually snorts at that. I take it that Xr. O’Neill wasn’t a very likable person, and I'm not too surprised, they did attempt to kill someone, after all.***Murder Mystery written for my Creative Writing Class. Honestly it was meant to be a working title but I don't have anything better.Posting it here because I'm still pissed I had to change Pleoh's pronouns
Relationships: (background), Leonardo Vashya Diavi/Pleoh Ruiz O'Neill
Series: Reboot [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1065350





	We Open With Rin

It had really been a fairly normal evening. If I remember correctly- and I always do- I was sitting in the bar, hiding out at one of the back tables with a book and a glass of water. I wouldn’t have chosen the place myself, but the crowd was a good cover for clients, and by hiding all the way at the back I wouldn’t get any visitors that weren’t looking for business. Which was always preferable.   
  


Just as ‘Happy hour’ began, I saw him approach me. It would’ve been hard not to see him, thinking back on it. He had white hair, pale skin, dark eyes, and a face about as cold as the air outside. When he slid into the booth across from me, I had expected to be greeted with some form of small talk, but I shouldn’t have been surprised when he jumped right into business “Security Consultant Rin.” He greeted me with a dip of his head and folded his arms on the table “...How much do you charge?” His voice was low, and hard to hear above the din of the other tables, but he had an aura about him that told me he didn’t like to repeat himself, so I did my best to listen in.    
  


“Depends.” I answered truthfully “What do you need?” He glanced back at the crowd, almost seeming nervous for half a second before he looked at me again, and his expression returned to its stony default.  
  
“..Reassurance.” was all he said, but I got the gist, and had thought it out for a moment. He hadn’t given me a specific time period, and so I assumed he didn’t know, which..wasn’t promising but could pay well.   
  


“Two hundred up front. Fifty per day.” The man grumbled, but pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, writing a quick check. When he handed it to me I found that his handwriting was not only legible, but neat, and so I was easily able to read his name “...Leonardo Diavi.” He nodded and leaned on the table once more. He again glanced quickly into the crowd, and I had the feeling he was a little paranoid, of what? I couldn’t really be sure, he hadn’t said, and right after giving me a time and place to meet he was gone again.  
  
At this moment, standing outside of the Uptown Diner with my hands shoved in my pockets, I pondered how, perhaps, I should’ve asked for more information. I had no idea what I was walking into, and this was a mistake on his part, and partially on mine. I could be walking into some kind of trap and I would be caught practically with my pants down. I was stewing over this and pretending not to pay attention to the passing pedestrians when Mr. Diavi came into view, cutting through the crowd to stop momentarily at my side, gesturing for me to follow as he started in the same direction again. It wasn’t too hard to keep up with his pace, he was a bit shorter, after all, my main concern was why he felt he needed to walk that fast at all.  
  
“..Mr. Diavi.” I started, clearing my throat to get his attention as we rounded a corner “I’d like to know more about this job.” He seemed to glance around, before nodding quietly, and I had to assume he was waiting for me to continue. Which meant I was leading this conversation. That was not something I wanted to do “...Why have you felt the need to hire a security consultant?” was what I decided to be my first and most important question.  
  
“I need an extra set of eyes.” he mumbled, and continued to weave his way through the quickly thinning crowd “..Someone’s been murdered.” He continues walking, but I have to stop for half a second. He’s a detective? I wouldn’t have thought so. In all my shows, detectives wear long trench coats, have weird hats, and seem to be made out of sticks at best. Mr. Diavi was in a dress shirt and slacks both times I've seen him, he’s very obviously not made of sticks, and the weirdest thing about the top of his head is his man bun. I take a large step to catch up with him as he turns down a back road with bike-lined walls.   
  
“Why hire me, then?” I can't’ help that I sound a little irked, I'm not qualified to investigate crime scenes, I'm qualified in making sure no one touches them. (Or, maybe more accurately, I'm qualified to make sure the crime doesn’t happen in the first place. Usually, people don't actually expect any input from me, and that’s how I like it.)  
  
“The person killed was my partner.” He responds, and even though his voice doesn’t waver, and I can’t see what expression he might be making, I cringe inwardly. I’ve already hit a sore spot.  
  
“...I'm sorry.” he just shrugs as a response and doesn’t say anything more on the topic. It hasn’t completely answered my question as to why he decided to hire a security consultant to help with an investigation, but I don't want to ask any more questions about his dead partner and risk a run-in with someone else’s emotions.   
  
\---  
  
We make it to the morgue not too long after that, the rest of the walk silent due to my reluctance to voice my other questions, and I’ve also noticed that he doesn’t really talk a lot anyway, so I suspect it wasn’t any different than the usual for him. We’re greeted at the door by a tall man with glasses and wild dark hair, as well as a small boy with white hair much like Mr. Diavi’s, but he has darker skin and smaller features. The man has one arm wrapped around the boy, who looks like he’s been crying, and the man himself looks a little stressed as well.  
  
“Leo,” He sighs as we approach, rubbing a hand over his face, setting his glasses askew. Then he glances at me, and a flash of recognition crosses his face, but I'm happy to note that he doesn’t say anything “..Who’s this..?” he asks cautiously. I remain silent, letting my gaze rest on the wall next to the boy.  
  
“This is Rin. Rin, this is Caster.” Mr. Diavi says simply, stepping forward and gently getting the boy’s attention. He gestures for me to go inside, and so I do, Caster following behind me and closing the door. Caster wrings his hands for a moment, glancing over at me a few times, then runs his hand through his hair and starts to pace in a tight circle. I don't say anything, passively watching him.  
  
“So-” He starts, and I quickly cut him off before he can try and say something, or worse, ask me something that’s difficult to answer.  
  
“Mr. Diavi has hired me to assist him in the investigation of the murder of his partner,” I say, and give him a hard glare, watching as he nods and swallows nervously. I stare at him for another minute, just to be sure, but he doesn’t say anything more, so I turn back to the wall across from me as Mr. Diavi enters again. The boy is at his side now, hood pulled up to obscure his face, hands shoved in his pockets. I feel a little bad for a moment, and wonder who he is. Mr. Diavi’s son? His partner’s son?  
  
“How are you doing?” Caster quickly shifts focus to Mr. Diavi, but he only shrugs as a response and changes the topic. Again.  
  
“I’m fine- Have you found anything else out?” He tilts his head to gesture down the hall, and I spare it a glance, though I don’t see anything interesting from here.  
  
“No- Silla’s doing the autopsy. She’s already fairly certain of how they died though.” The boy flinches, and Caster makes a sympathetic face “...Are you sure you don't want to go back to the house, Lance? We’re going to be talking about this a lot..” Lance shakes his head.  
  
“I want to hear what’s going on.” He mumbles, and Caster looks to Mr. Diavi, who doesn’t say anything.  
  
“...Alright...Anyway. She’s fairly certain of..how it happened. They've got a lot of broken bones, and bruising, especially around their neck, so it’s uh...It’s fairly likely that..um..” He glances at the boy, then at me, before continuing “...It’s fairly likely that they were strangled..or beaten to death by someone. But that’s not really something you didn’t already know...” He looks at Mr. Diavi again, who nods, looking thoughtful. Lance mumbles something and steps back outside. I Watch the door as it closes, again wondering about him. 

  
\---  
We’re waiting in the front room until a woman in green scrubs approaches us from the hallway, her hair pulled into a tight bun. By then, another pair has joined us; Two more detectives by the names of Chase Bones and Spencer Winters. Bones looks like he’s much too young for the job, with his soft face and gangly build, while Winters is tall, ginger, and looks more like he should be someone’s father. They both converse easily with Caster, who Winters calls ‘Frenchman’. I wonder a little why they aren’t questioning anyone, but nonetheless, I'm thankful for it.  
  
“...It’s a party in here.” The woman says, voice monotone as she stares at us “..You’re all here for Xr. O’Neill?” There’s a collective murmur somewhere in the affirmative and she nods, stepping to the side and gesturing down the hallway “The freezer’s this way.” We follow after her, Bones and Winters stepping to the front to question Mr. Diavi as we walk. The hallway seems like it could be ominous in the wrong lighting, but right now with its vintage lamps and antiseptic smell, it’s strangely comforting.  
  
“Did you ever have any relations with Xr. O’Neill? Did you ever speak with them?” Bones asks.  
  
“...They were my coworker.” Mr. Diavi answers quietly, to which Bones hums, and nods.  
  
“Were you close? Good friends?”   
  
“...Yes.” As I’m eavesdropping and wondering why a detective would question another detective, I realize that Detective Winters has approached me, and nearly jump out of my skin. I hope it doesn’t show.  
  
“Hey there, don’t think I’ve seen your face around before,” he says and smiles at me. I don’t try to smile back, because I’ve been told..it’s not the best.  
  
“...I don't think so.” He nods, as if he was expecting this, and brings out his notepad and pen that he had been holding behind his back like if I didn’t see it, I wouldn’t be as anxious.   
  
“Well, I’m going to have to ask you some questions, alright? Let’s start with your name.”  
  
“Rin.”  
  
He jots my name down and looks back at me, one eyebrow raised “...Do I get a last name with that?” He eventually backs down from my blank stare with a little muttering and notes something else down. I want to see what he’s writing, but I think I’d get in trouble, and I'm not exactly in the mood for that “Alright, Rin... Let’s talk about Xr. O’Neill.” He looks down at me sympathetically, and seems to be trying to keep his tone gentle “When was the last time you spoke to them?”  
  
“I’ve never spoken with Xr. O’Neill.” He doesn’t really seem to like that answer, or at least, he looks a little confused. I’m not the best with expressions, so it’s difficult for me to spot the difference between ‘confused furrowed brows’ and ‘angry furrowed brows’  
  
  
“So why are you here?” I find that he’s asked a really good question, I want to give him a pat on the back since I don't really know either. I’m not exactly made to help with investigations, and from the looks of it, Mr. Diavi isn’t a detective either.  
  
“I’m here with Mr. Diavi.” He makes a little ‘o’ face, and jots that down as well- at least that’s what I can assume he’s writing.   
  
“You friends?”  
  
“...I’m a Security Consultant.” I silently beg he doesn’t try to look that up later because I'm not the most legal one out there. Thankfully though, he just takes that answer and thanks me, leaving me to do my job, at least until we reach ‘the freezer’.   
  
\---  
  
The freezer was...exactly what one might have thought it was. At the end of the hallway, to the left a bit and down some stairs we were greeted by two push doors, and as the woman shoved through them, we were all greeted by a blast of cold air and a...stronger smell of antiseptic and possibly other cleaning agents, I can't be expected to identify them all. We were led through hanging plastic sheets, and then we could see the rows of ‘lockers’ that I assumed held each body.   
  
The nurse made a beeline for one, in particular, double checked the numbers, and pulled it open like a drawer, revealing a body (hopefully to no one’s surprise.)  
  
(I suddenly found myself glad that the little boy wasn’t here anymore.)  
  
“Here we are.” The nurse says. She sounds bored, but she’s sporting a little grimace as if she doesn’t particularly like this part of the job. She looks around at the group of us before sighing, and pulling the cover down “Pleoh Ruiz O’Neill.” Caster shuffles and looks down to the floor, while Mr. Diavi is able to look over the body for a moment, before averting his gaze as well. Unsurprisingly, the detectives weren’t too shocked. Honestly, neither was I.  
  
Xr. O’Neill was a freckled young person with dark hair and blue eyes (this part I knew from experience, since they had already sown their eyes shut) Their skin was paler than it had been when they were alive, and, true to Caster’s word, there were purple bruises covering their body, especially around their neck. I finally looked away, choosing instead to focus on my reflection in the other lockers. I was the one who had killed them after all, it’s not like I didn’t know how they had died.  
  
I was just surprised that Caster hadn’t tried to say anything yet.  
  
\---  
  
We only spent a few more minutes in the morgue before Mr. Diavi turned around and gestured for me to follow as he left the room. I gave Caster one more good glare before tailing him back up the stairs and out of the room. Not that I didn’t trust him alone with the detectives...But I didn’t trust him alone with the detectives.   
  
I start to consider ways I could avoid being a suspect. I’m almost positive I'm already doing pretty well as long as Caster doesn’t say anything. I wasn’t lying when I said I had never spoken with Xr. O’Neill (or at least, I wasn’t lying very much), and...I couldn’t think of anything else that might make them suspicious of me. Should I try to frame someone? I don't really dislike anyone enough to try and frame them, and if I was the only one to suggest a suspect, that might look weird too. I'm drawn out of my thoughts when Mr. Diavi clears his throat, leaning against the wall of the hallway.  
  
“...What do you think?” I raise an eyebrow, thinking about it for a moment, before deciding that yes, he does actually want my input and that maybe it was best to..omit a bit of information rather than outright framing someone.   
  
“I think they got into a fight they couldn’t handle.” I say, doing my best to keep eye contact “...And I think the murderer didn’t like them too much. Did they have any enemies?” I prompt, and Mr. Diavi actually snorts at that. I take it that Xr. O’Neill wasn’t a very likable person, and I'm not too surprised, they did attempt to kill someone, after all.  
  
Now's not a great time to reminisce though.  
  
“There are a few people I can think of.” Mr. Diavi mumbles, and there’s a dangerous look in his eyes when he looks out at the street through the window, but it’s gone again as he turns back to me “...I think that’ll be all, for now, Rin, I’ve got the next parts handled.” He holds a hand out towards me, and I hesitate, before shaking it, feeling guilt crush my chest for a moment before it’s gone again “I’ll call if I need anything else. Your check should already be deposited.” I nod quietly, letting go of his hand. He looks away and sighs, apparently done talking, and I take that as my cue to leave, gladly doing so.  
  
And _now_ , I take the time to reminisce.  
  
\---  
  
The client before Mr. Diavi had been Doctor Caster House himself, the man who was supposedly going to make the cure for cancer caused by radiation. He had gotten word that someone was out for his head, and that they had hired a hitman. Now, I don't know if he was just looking to save some money, or what, but he had come to hire me to keep an eye on things at a Press conference he was supposed to speak at, convinced that this would be the moment that the hitman would strike.   
  
Of course, I took the job, it’s not like I have better things to do with my time (I do, but watching television doesn’t pay well) and I was there with the three other bodyguards at the press conference.  
  
I started noting that something was off with one of them though, a freckled young person who looked to be about in their twenties (That in itself had been a red flag, young security is not the best security) they didn’t seem to be paying attention at all, and spent more time looking at their watch or rocking on their heels, as if they were impatient for something. I had moved closer to them, making up for their slack, and they had tried to start a conversation a few times.  
  
“Crowd’s a little lackluster huh? I thought this might be a little more exciting for some reason. Guess it’s my bad for expecting a press conference to be like a concert.” they had said at first, then when I didn't answer, quickly moved to “You’re really good at that whole ‘Security person’ Vibe. you've got the sunglasses, military shave, grouchy face-- y’know I have a friend like you?” a pause, and then they continued “Yeeaah he talks about as much as you do too, you guys should be friends.” I had ignored anything else they said.  
  
The press conference ended within another hour or so, and I moved forward to guide Caster off the makeshift stage and back into the office building (which was actually just behind the stage) when I was stopped by Xr. ‘I thought this was a concert’.  
  
“Hey man, I can take him.” They smiled at me and pat my shoulder. All of these things combined made me immediately dislike them more.  
  
“He’s requested that I’m the one to take him inside,” I said and took another step forward, but they were suddenly in front of me. They moved a lot faster than I thought they would.  
  
“Yeah, okay, I can get behind that, seems legit.” Concert guy shrugged, and tilted their head a little before leaning in, like they were about to tell me a secret “But I kinda wanna catch him alone y’know? I'm-- uh-- I'm a bit of a fan, I’d like the chance to talk to him for a bit. Maybe get his autograph. Y’know, the works” The guy was actually wringing their hands. I considered it for a second, but shook my head (they hadn’t exactly proved that they were good at their job) and stepped past them.  
  
Again, they caught me by the shoulder, holding up their hands as I turned to glare at them “Look, I know! I know you just said no, and you look like you wanna do your job but-- I’ll pay you for your time, I’ve got some checks in my wallet right now, just gotta give me a number.” now this was just insulting (and also raised some flags, this guy was either obsessed with Caster, or had plans other than getting his autograph)  
  
“I don't take bribes,” I said firmly, and actually walked away from them this time  
tapping Caster on the shoulder to let him know it was time to go.  
  
When I turned around, they were gone again, which should’ve raised more flags (granted, there were already many raised) but I wasn't paying attention to them, or the lack of them anymore. I just focused on getting Caster inside the building for the moment.  
  
“Thanks.” Caster sighed as soon as we actually got into his office, and I nodded, leaning against the wall “...I was sure that they’d try to make a move but..that was surprisingly tame.” He blinked as if he was actually surprised.  
  
“Most hitmen don't kill people in public unless it’s specified,” I said, and he gave me a bit of a distressed look, amber eyes wide.  
  
“That’s...promising. Thank you for that information, it makes me very glad that we’re still in public and not in a private space at all.” He raised his eyebrows at me, and I shrugged.  
  
“I’m here.”  
  
And at that moment the door opened.  
  
I immediately reached for whoever it was, because I was positive I had locked it, but they ducked away from my hand and spun to face Caster  
  
“Woah! Hey!” It was the guy, the one who had wanted an autograph, how had they gotten in? “Dr. House right? I’m a huge fan-- sorry for like, breaking in but like I said; Big fan of your work, my uh-- my niece died of cancer a while back-- Anyway! I was wondering if I could ask a few questions? Maybe get an autograph?” I step forward, getting ready to grab them and maybe quite literally throw them out, but Caster waved me off, offering them a smile.  
  
“Yeah! Yeah, of course.” he grabs what looks like scrap paper off the desk, and a pen out of a little cup “and uh...who am I addressing it to..?” He looks at the man, who has already stepped closer, wandering behind the desk and leaning over to watch Caster write  
  
“Pleoh.” He says, with a grin, and as Caster leans over the paper, a chair gets thrown in my direction.  
  
The next few seconds passed pretty quickly, but from what I can gather; After throwing the chair at me, Pleoh had grabbed the back of Caster’s head and slammed it into the desk, stunning him. Then they vaulted over the desk, grabbed Caster, and ran for the door.  
  
I was, in fact, hit with the chair, and it distracted me for long enough that they were out the door, and down the hall a bit by the time I stood up. Thankfully, Caster was very vocal about his displeasure and I was able to follow him. Unfortunately, we were currently the only ones in the office as far as I knew so I would be the only one to help.  
  
Then his shouting suddenly stopped, and when I caught up with them, Caster was out cold and Pleoh was standing over him. I kicked them into a wall and expected them to go down after that, but they stood right back up, stumbled, pulled a knife out of their jacket and lunged at me.  
  
I’m sure anyone could guess what happened next. There was a tussle, and it ended with my hands around their neck. At some point, Caster had gained consciousness and watched with distress as I let Pleoh’s body drop to the ground. I looked over at him, considered my options for a moment, and held a finger to my lips.  
  
“We won’t talk about this. Get ice for your head, I wasn’t here. After dropping you off I walked out through the back and went home. You weren’t assaulted.” I picked Pleoh’s body up and headed for the back. Thankfully nobody was around, and I was able to make it into the alley.   
  
I ended up walking for a bit longer, before just dropping them on the ground, and continuing on my way.  
  
The next day I spent the evening sitting in a bar, and was visited by a ghostly man with dark eyes.


End file.
